Maine Shrimp/Lobster Linguine

Visitors to The Bass Cottage Inn may recall our breakfast entree, Shrimp on a Raft - herbed biscuit served with Maine shrimp sauce (with those very same sweet little buggers) and poached eggs.

Here's a dinner treat Jeff and Teri enjoy at home during the winter which showcases our local Maine shrimp with an important cameo appearance by local lobster (thanks for the cookbook "Dishing Up Maine" by Brooke Dojny for providing a great point of departure). We've added some of Maine's signature lobster (including the flavorful liver known as the tomalley) and piquant pickled peppers.

Fill pan with water deep enough to cover the lobster's head (3-4 inches). When boiling, put the live lobster in the water, headfirst, and cover the pan. Steam for 10 minutes (the meat will finish cooking when you saute it later).

Remove partially cooked lobster and set in a colander to drain. Use the same pot to cook your pasta...fill and put on the burner.

When the lobster is cool enough to handle, break the tail off the body. You'll see the green tamale in the carapace. Spoon out 1-2 teaspoons of the tomalley and put in a small dish. (If tomalley bothers you you can omit it.) Remove the lobster meat from the tail, claws and knuckles. Cut into bite size pieces, refrigerate while you make the rest of the dish.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil. When melted, add the garlic and shallots. Saute for 5 minutes (do not burn!). Whisk in the tomalley. Cook for 1 more minute.

Add the clam juice and wine. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil and reduce by about 1/3. Then, add the lemon juice, zest, bitters and minced peppers. Take it off heat while you prep the pasta.

Cook the pasta al dente. Reheat the sauce in the saute pan, add the raw Maine shrimp and reserved lobster meat. Cook the seafood about 1-2 minutes taking care not to overcook it. Check for seasoning...add salt and pepper to taste. Then, add the pasta to the saute pan and toss to coat. If it's too dry, add some reserved pasta water.

Plate pasta, taking care to have some of the shrimp and lobster arranged on top of the noodles. Top with the fresh parsley. Enjoy your taste of Maine, Italian-style!